Mar 28, 2024  
2017-2018 Graduate Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

English - Texts, Technologies, and Literature (TTL)


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Orianne Smith, Chair
Lucille McCarthy, Graduate Program Director

Degree Offered

M.A. (Degree Types )

Faculty

Professors

JESSICA BERMAN, Ph.D., University of Chicago; 20th century narrative, cultural studies, literary and feminist theory
RAPHAEL FALCO, Ph.D., New York University; English Renaissance literature
LUCILLE MCCARTHY, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania; Rhetoric and composition, writing in academic and professional settings, Writing Across the Curriculum
KATHRYN MCKINLEY, Ph.D., University of Delaware; Medieval literature, images, and iconography

Associate Professors

JEAN FERNANDEZ, Ph.D., University of Iowa; Victorian literature, literature and empire, narratology, autobiography
JENNIFER MAHER, Ph.D., Iowa State University; Rhetoric of technology, critical theory, qualitative research methods, professional communication
MICHELE OSHEROW, Ph.D., University of Maryland; Shakespeare, drama, the Bible as literature, Jewish American literature
JODY SHIPKA, Ph.D., University of Illinois; Rhetoric and Composition; multimodal discourse
ORIANNE SMITH, Ph.D., Loyola University of Chicago; British Romanticism

Assistant Professors

EARL BROOKS, Ph.D. Penn State University; Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric of African American Music
LINDSAY DICUIRCI, Ph.D., The Ohio State University; Colonial/U.S. literature to 1900, periodical publishing, African American literature, women’s literary history
DREW HOLLADAY, Ph.D. University of Louisville; Rhetoric and Composition, Disability Studies, Rhetoric of Medicine and Mental Health

Senior Lecturers

ROBIN I. FARABAUGH, Ph.D., Cornell University; English Renaissance literature; Shakespeare, science writing, fiction writing

Program Description

The Master of Arts in Texts, Technologies, and Literature provides an opportunity for advanced students to further their understanding of literature and a broad array of other texts, including digital, academic and those that function in everyday use, in relation to both historical and contemporary culture. The program welcomes able students with undergraduate majors in such areas as American Studies, Media Studies, Communication Studies, Modern
Languages and Literature, and Gender and Women’s Studies, as well as English. It is designed to accommodate students with a variety of interests and career paths, including those who are considering an academic career in English, whether in Rhetoric and Composition, Communication and Media Studies, or Literature; those interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in UMBC’s Language, Literacy, and Culture program; high school teachers looking for advanced training; and those entering communications, editorial, and/or digital media professions. Students may specialize in the study of print-based or multi-modal texts of particular periods or genres; rhetoric, communication, and composition; or language use and production in various settings. Students in the program will

  • explore a range of literatures in English and a variety of textual forms, media, and practices in relation to their cultural contexts
  • develop advanced skills in reading, analyzing, and writing about texts, from the lyric poem to digital work in multi-media, and
  • have the opportunity to study language in use in various settings, or to specialize in the study of communication or the teaching of composition.

Program Admission Requirements

The admission requirements and procedures correspond to the requirements set forth by UMBC’s Graduate School with the provision that the GRE and a writing sample are required.  Applications must include three letters of recommendation that provide information about your potential as a scholar and your ability to engage in academic work at the graduate level.  All original application documents must be sent directly to the Graduate School, not to the graduate program. 

Accelerated B.A./M.A. Program

Qualified undergraduate students may apply for the accelerated B.A./M.A. program that permits advanced undergraduate students to take courses at the graduate level while earning the B.A. Up to nine credits of coursework in English may be counted toward both the B.A. and the M.A., provided the coursework is undertaken at the 600 level. Selected 400 level English courses may count as well. Students should apply late in their sophomore or in their junior year in order to begin the program during their senior year. To qualify for the Accelerated B.A./M.A., a student must be an English major and have earned a minimum of 60 undergraduate credits. At least 15 of these must have been earned at UMBC, and no less than 9 credits need to be in 300 or 400 level English courses. One of these 300 or 400 level English courses must be ENGL 300 or 301. In addition, students must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 overall and 3.5 in English. Interested students should complete the application form found on the UMBC Graduate School website. For further information, contact the English Department.

Facilities and Special Resources

The Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery contains a collection of about 500,000 volumes. A reference and bibliographical collection of about 25,000 volumes, together with a wealth of online bibliographical and data services, provides comprehensive aid for research in various aspects of English Studies. Graduate students also have access to a rapid delivery system of materials from the massive collective resources of all the libraries in the University System of Maryland. Additional library and archival resources available to students in the Baltimore-Washington are enormous and include the Folger Shakespeare Library and Theatre in Washington DC, the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore with its world class collection of medieval manuscripts, and the Library of Congress. The English Department at UMBC recently moved into the beautiful new Performing Arts and Humanities Building, which is equipped with state-of-the-art computerized classrooms.

Financial Assistance

A limited number of graduate teaching assistantships are available in the Department of English. Information about other financial assistance is available from the Office of Financial Aid. Be sure to check online for application deadlines and instructions.

Programs

Courses

    English

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